Released Reading Selections and Assessment Questions, 2016

Primary DivisionGrade 3 Language Assessment of Reading, Writing and MathematicsEducation Quality and Accountability Office, 2 Carlton Street, Suite 1200, Toronto ON ta. M5B 2M9. Telephone: 1-888-327-7377. Web site: www.eqao.com © 2016 Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

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Section A1 Reading

There's Not Enough Snow!

“Snow!” cried Sam, gazing out the window.

Snow lightly coated the sidewalk and dotted the trees and bushes. It looked like tiny diamonds sparkling in the sun.

Sam dashed to put on his boots, coat, hat and gloves.

“Where are you going?” asked his mom.

“Sledding!” Sam replied.

“There’s not enough snow,” his mother called.

“Yes, there is,” said Sam as he ran outside.

Sam grabbed his sled from the shed and hastened to the nearby hill.

“Hey, Sam! What are you doing?” called his neighbour Kim, gliding by on her scooter.

“I’m going sledding!” explained Sam.

“There’s not enough snow,” she said.

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“Yes, there is,” said Sam.

Sam plunked his sled down atop the hill and stared down the slope. He sat, feet first. He wiggled. He moved just a little. He pushed with his hands. He moved a little more. Sam stood up. Holding the sled against his chest, he ran and launched himself down the hill. He moved forward about 15 centimetres and ground to a halt.

There was not enough snow!

Sam smooshed some snow together to form a snowball.

“Hey, Sam! What are you doing?” called his brother, Drew, taking his bike from the garage.

“I’m building a snowman!”

“There’s not enough snow,” Drew said.

“Yes, there is,” insisted Sam.

Sam rolled his little snowball on the snow-dusted ground, but it didn’t increase much in size. He packed the snow tighter, but when he opened his hands, the powder crumbled and flakes drifted away.

Head down, he went inside, peeled off his soggy boots and gloves and headed for the kitchen.

“How was the snow?” asked his mom.

“There wasn’t enough for sledding or even for making a snowball.”

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“That’s too bad,” said Mom.

Sam smiled. “But there is enough snow for one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Cookies and hot chocolate!”

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1.: Why is the word , “snow”, written differently in paragraph 1??

to show excitement .

to describe an event.

to show who is talking.

to introduce a problem.

2. : What do the words, “dashed” , (paragraph 3) and , “hastened” , (paragraph 8) tell the reader about Sam’s movements?

They are quiet..

They are quick..

They are careful...

They are clumsy..

3. : What does the word , “powder”, refer to in paragraph 20?

snow

hands

gloves

ground

4. : Which paragraph shows that Sam is sad? paragraph 10.

paragraph 17.

paragraph 21.

paragraph 25.

5. : How does Sam show a positive attitude from the beginning to the end of the story? Explain using details from the text to support your answer. (3 typed lines)

6. : How does the reader know there isn’t enough snow? Explain using details from the text to support your answer. (3 typed lines)

Section A2 Reading

Backyard Acrobat

I made the birds a tasty treat,With bagel, seeds and stringAnd peanut butter thickly spreadTo make the birdseeds cling.But before the backyard birds could supUpon this wintry feastFrom far below came darting upA different kind of beast.He nimbly balanced on a branchAnd stuffed his cheeks with seedsThen swinging like an acrobatHe ate the whole trapeze!And when he’d finally had his fillOf my sticky birdseed ringHe scurried back from whence he cameLeaving only crumbs and string.

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7. : Lines 1 to 4 show that the speaker

is caring..

is hungry..

enjoys winter..

enjoys watching birds..

8. : What does , “cling” , mean as used in line 4?

look nice

feel softer.

taste good.

stick closely.

9. : Which lines present the problem in the poem?

lines 1 to 2.

lines 3 to 4.

lines 9 to 10

lines 14 to 15

10. : Which of the following is closest in meaning to , “whence” , as used in line 15

why.

what.

whom.

where.

11. : Explain how the reader knows that the speaker likes birds. Use details from the poem to support your answer. (3 typed lines)

12. : Which words show the reader that the squirrel is a backyard acrobat? Explain using details from the poem to support your answer. (3 typed lines)

Section A3 Writing

13. : Would you rather be able to move very fast or fly very high? Write a paragraph explaining which you would choose and why.

Ideas for My Paragraph

This page will not be scored.

Write your answer on the next page.

Write your paragraph here. Remember to check your spelling, grammar and punctuation. (5 typed lines)

Section A4 Writing. Multiple-Choice

14. : Choose the sentence that uses the correct contraction for the words , “they are.”

Theyr’e entering the car.

They’are unlocking the door

They’re driving down the road.

The’yre getting ready to go home.

15. : Susan became famous , Blank space., , she had won many snowboarding contests.

if.

after.

while.

during.

16. : Choose the sentence that uses a comma correctly.

Anna is learning to skate, pass and score during hockey practice.

Anna is learning, to skate pass and score during hockey practice.

Anna is learning to skate pass and score, during hockey practice.

Anna is learning to skate pass, and score during hockey practice.

17. : Choose the best order to make a paragraph using the following sentences.

(1) They are learning how to make muffins.

(2) Shona and Frank are taking cooking lessons.

(3) They can add their favourite ingredients after making the batter.

(4) Shona and Frank can’t wait to taste their blueberry muffins.

4, 1, 2, 3

2, 1, 3, 4.

2, 4, 1, 3.

4, 3, 1, 2.

Section B1 Reading

Taking an Ant Bath

If you sat on an anthill by accident and little black ants started to crawl all over you, would you stay there? Of course not!.

Yet many birds actually look for dirt mounds full of busy ants and deliberately sit on them! Scientists call this unusual behaviour, “ant-ing.” Some scientists believe it helps birds stay healthy. Why? They know that ants, when in danger, spray a smelly substance called “formic acid.” This chemical kills the tiny insects that bother birds.

Robins, crows and blue jays are just a few of the birds who take ant baths. A robin might squat on top of an anthill, squirm around to annoy the ants then spread its wings and let the ants swarm through its feathers. This is called , passive ant-ing.

A crow is sometimes more forceful. It may clamp an ant in its beak and use the insect like a comb, carefully rubbing it under its wings and through its feathers. After it has squeezed all the juice out of the ant, the crow might eat the “comb.” This is called , active ant-ing.

A good time to watch birds ant -ing is late in the summer when they are moult-ing, or shedding old feathers and growing new ones. It’s possible

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that an ant bath soothes a bird’s itchy skin in the same way that lotion helps you relieve itchiness caused by a skin rash or sunburn.

So the next time you see an anthill, just step back, stay quiet and see if you can observe a bird in the act of ant -ing.

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1. : What does the word , “deliberately”, mean as used in paragraph 2?

on purpose

by accident.

very busily.

very carefully

2. : Why is the word , “comb” , in quotation marks (paragraph 4)?

to show that it is spoken

to provide new information.

to introduce a difficult word.

to show an unusual meaning.

3. : What does , “clamp” , show about the crow (paragraph 4)?

It can eat quickly..

It can grip strongly..

It can play roughly..

It can move carefully..

4. : Which paragraph provides a tip for the reader?

paragraph 2

paragraph 3

paragraph 4.

paragraph 6.

5. : Explain the difference between passive and active ant -ing. Use details from the text to support your answer. (3 typed lines)

6. : How is, “ant-ing”, for birds similar to bathing for humans? Explain using details from the text to support your answer. (3 typed lines)

Stop.

Permissions and Credits

Section A1: ReadingAdapted from “There’s Not Enough Snow” by Regina Coates, published in Highlights for Children magazine, February 2012, volume 67, number 2, issue 724, pages 10 to 11. © 2012 Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Reprinted with permission.

Section A2: ReadingAdapted from “Backyard Acrobat” by Laura Sassi, from SPIDER magazine, January 2007, volume 14, number 1. © by Carus Publishing. Reproduced with permission. All Cricket Media material is copyrighted by Carus Publishing Company, d/b/a Cricket Media, and/or various authors and illustrators. Any commercial use or distribution of material without permission is strictly prohibited. Please visit http://www.cricketmedia.com/info/licensing2 for licensing and http://www.cricketmedia.com for subscriptions.

Section B1: ReadingAdapted from “Ants in Their Pants” by Patricia Nikolina Clark, from SPIDER magazine, September 2009, volume 16, number 7. © by Carus Publishing Company. Reproduced with permission. All Cricket Media material is copyrighted by Carus Publishing Company, d/b/a Cricket Media, and/or various authors and illustrators. Any commercial use or distribution of material without permission is strictly prohibited. Please visit http://www.cricketmedia.com/info/licensing2 for licensing and http://www.cricketmedia.com for subscriptions. Photo: © David White.